Hermetically sealed burial casket



Feb. 12, 1952 wQLTERlNG 2,585,363

HERMETICALLY SEALED BURIAL CASKET Filed July 14, 1950 3 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR. Ag/wows: J/Vazrsmva,

BY @UKZZJ ATTOQNEYS,

Feb. 12, 1952 A. J. WOLTERING 2,585,363

HERMETICALLY SEALED BURIAL CASKET Filed July 14, 1950 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 B v I1\ VEN TOR.

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RTTORNEYS.

1952 I A. J. WOLTERING HERMETICALLY SEALED BURIAI- CASKET 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed July 14, 1950 INVENTOR. ALP/IONS! J%4re/-s, flaw M WN NN ATTORNEYS.

Patented Feb. 12, 1952 UNITED STATES TENT tries to Cincinnati Coffin (30.,

corporation of Ohio Cincinnati, Ohio, a

Application July 14, 1950, Serial No. 173,895

9 Claims. 1

This invention relates to hermetically sealed burial caskets and particularly to the type of casket wherein there are provided separately movable top or cover sections.

In such casket it is my object to provide a cross bar or rib member contoured so as to fit the curvature of the cover sections and provide an abutment surface against which sealing gaskets, carried by the underneath edges of the adjoining ends of the cover sections will form an effective hermetic seal.

It is my purposerto provide a construction in which the gaskets sealing the cover sections are primarily carried by the cover sections in contrast to caskets in which the sealing gasket is car ried primarily by the upper edges of the four walled compartment section, thus mar-ring the appearance of the compartment in which the body of the deceased person is encased.

It is my object to provide a mounting for the cross bar or rib wherein the bar is demountable and in which hermetic sealing means is provided at the ends of the cross bar.

The foregoing objects and other objects to which reference will be made in the ensuing description, I accomplish by that certain combination and arrangement of parts of which I have illustrated several preferred embodiments.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure l is a side elevational view with parts broken away, showing a casket which comprises sealing means in accordance with my invention.

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the casket with the lid components in raised positions.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary enlarged detailed sectional view taken along the line 3-3 ure 2.

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken along the line of Figl-i of Figure 1.

Figure 5 is a sectional view taken along the line 53- 5 of Figure 1.

Figure is an enlarged detailed sectional view taken along the line t --5 of Figure 1.

Figure 12 is a fragmentary perspective illustrating one embodiment of a socket.

Figure 13 is also a fragmentary perspective illustrating certain details of construction.

Figure 14 is a side elevation showing a different modification of my invention.

Figure 15 is a perspective view of the ends of the cover sections partially opened.

Figure 16 is a sectional view along the lines I6l6 of Figure 15 with the covers open.

Figure 7 is a sectional view along the lines lo-l5 of Figure 15 with the cover members closed.

Figure 18 is a sectional view along the lines l8l8 of Figure 15 with the cover members open.

Figure 19 is a sectional view in the position indicated by the lines |8l8 in Figure 15, with the cover members closed.

Referring first to Figures 1 to 13, the casket indicated has a'four walled compartment having front and back side walls I and end Walls 2.

Around the top of the compartment there is provided a continuous rectangular fl atsurfaced flange or ledge 3. At about the middle ofthe flange 3 taken lengthwise of the compartment are slots 4 into which the ends 5 of the cross bar 6 fit. The cross bar has a flat upper surface 7 convexly contoured to correspond with the concave curve at the lower edges of the end walls 8, 9 of the cover members H3, l, respectively, which are hinged in the conventional manner to the back sidewall of the compartment. As shown in Figure 2 the end walls 8, 9, merge into side and outer end walls l2, it, which, with the exception of the curved lower edges of the adjacent inner Walls of the cover, are otherwise in a flat plane 14 corresponding to the plane of the upper surface of the flange 3.

Extending around the lower surfaces of the outer end and side walls of both hinged cover sections there is provided a continuous gasket or rubber sealing strip securely, cemented or otherwise securely attached to the lower surfaces of the end and side walls of the cover sections.

Across the adjacent curved inner ends of the cover sections, the gasket members preferably have different shapes to form an overlapping seal. Thus in Figures '7, 9 and 11, we have shown the front cover with a gasket It which bears, when the covers are closed, against the thin wedge shaped lip ll of a, gasket l8 which is secured to the lower surface edge of the curved inner end wall H. Such overlapping construction is preferable since the fit of the ends 5 of the cross bar 6 is not necessarily a hermetic seal.' Overlapping gasket parts as indicated, serve the purpose of forming a hermetic seal at these points.

As shown in Figure 6, cover clamps [9 may be provided having inturned flanged portions 26, which spring into secure locking position underneath a ledge 2| at the front side of the compartment. A gasket 2la. as indicated in Figure 6 may be provided at this position.

Referring now to Figures 14-19, a slightly modified type of sealing arrangement is shown. The casket illustrated has the lower compartment with side walls la and end walls 2a. The cover Sections ma, Ha are similar as are the meeting flanged portions 3a, Ma. Two rounded sealing strips 15a extend around the lower edge of both the head cover and foot cover members and there is no overlapping of gasket edges along the joint formed when both cover members are in closed position. Instead the cross bar a is covered with a gasket or sealing strip 22. At the end of this strip 22 in the position where the strip covers the side edges of the slots through which the ends of the cross bar 6a extend, the gasket at both sides tapers off in thin lips 22a so that in the positions in which the corners of the sealing strips or gaskets a turn from extending crosswise to running lengthwise of the under surfaces of the flanges Ma, a hermetic seal will be produced.

, Thus I have provided a casket having two hinged covers and a removable cross bar. The upper surface of the cross bar and the upper surfaces of the flange of the compartment form abutment surfaces against which the sealing strips which provide the hermetic seal are carried either by the lower edges of the cover members as in the modifications illustrated in Figures 1-13, or as in Figures 14-19 by the lower edges of the cover members plus the gasket or sealing strip carried by the cross bar. In modifications in which the cross bar is permanent there is no necessity for any overlapping gaskets l6, l1, [8, as in the modifications in Figures 1-13 or of the special type of cross bar covering gasket as shown in Figures Modifications in the arrangement in which the same principle of carrying hermetic sealing strips in the hinged covers and cross bar, and in which the upper surfaces of the flanges of the compartment side walls are free of any unpleasant appearance of mechanical functioning will occur to those skilled in the art. 7 v

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patentis: f

1. In a burial casket having hinged cover members, a four walled compartment member having upper edges in the same plane forming a continuous abutment surface, said hinged cover members having at their sides and opposite ends lower edges which, with closing movement, move toward the plane of the upper edges of the compartment, sealing strips secured to the lower edges of the sides and opposite ends of the cover members for providing a hermetic seal, the end edges of the cover members which are adjacent extending in similar concave arcs, a cross rib, the

upper surface of which is convex and of similar contour as the concave adjacent end edges of the cover members underlying said adjacent end edges, and sealing strips providing a hermetic seal between the upper convex surface of the cross rib and the adjacent end edges of the cover members.

' manual detachment from 2. In a burial casket having hinged cover members, a four walled compartment member having upper edges in the same plane forming a continuous abutment surface, said hinged cover members having at their sides and opposite ends lower edges which, with closing movement, move toward the plane of the upper edges of the compartment, sealing strips secured to the lower edges of the sides and opposite ends of the cover members for providing a hermetic seal, the end edges of the cover members which are adjacent extending in similar concave arcs, a cross rib, the upper surface of which is convex and of similar contour as the concave adjacent end edges of the cover members underlying said adjacent end edges, and sealing strips secured to the under surfaces of the adjacent end edges of the cover members providing a hermetic seal against the upper convex surface of the cross rib, said last noted sealing strips overlapping and forming hermetic seals at the ends of the cross rib.

3. In a burial casket having hinged cover members, a four walled compartment member having upper edges in the same plane forming a continuous abutment surface, said hinged cover members having at their sides and opposite ends lower edges which, with closing movement, move toward the plane of the upper edges of the compartment, sealing strips secured to the lower edges of the sides and opposite ends of the cover members for providing a hermetic seal, the end edges of the cover members which are adjacent extending in similar concave arcs, a cross rib, the upper surface of which is convex and of similar contour as the concave adjacent end edges of the cover members underlying said adjacent end edges, and sealing strips secured to the under surface of the adjacent end edges of the cover members providing a hermetic seal against the upper convex surface of the cross rib, said cross rib being mounted for manual detachment from the compartment member.

4. In a burial casket having hinged cover members, a four walled compartment member having upper edges in the same plane forming a continuous abutment surface, said hinged cover members having at their sides and opposite ends lower edges which, with closing movement, move toward the plane of the upper edges of the compartment, sealing strips secured to the lower edges of the sides and opposite ends of the cover members for providing a hermetic seal, the end edges of the cover members which are adjacent extending in similar concave arcs, a cross rib, the upper surface of which is convex and of similar contour as the concave adjacent end edges of the cover members underlying said adjacent end edges, and sealing strips secured to the under surfaces of the adjacent end edges of the cover members providing a hermetic seal against the upper convex surface of thecross rib, said last noted sealing strips overlapping and forming hermetic seals at the ends of the cross rib, said cross rib being mounted for the compartment member.

5. In a burial casket having hinged cover members, a four walled compartment member and sealing strip carried by the under surfaces of said cover members forming a hermetic seal against upper surfaces of the compartment member, adjacent edges of said cover members formed in concave arcs and a cross rib of corresponding convex shape against which the adjacent edges of said cover members abut.

6. In a burial casket having hinged cover members, a four walled compartment member and sealing strips carried by the under surfaces of said cover members forming a hermetic seal against upper surfaces of the compartment member, adjacent edges of said cover members formed in concave arcs and a cross rib of corresponding convex shape against which the adjacent edges of said cover members abut, said cross rib being manually detachable from the compartment member.

7. In a burial casket having cover members hinged to a four walled compartment member, said cover members having closely adjacent meeting end edges of concave contour, a cross rib underlying the closely adjacent meeting end edges and having a sealing strip on its upper surface, and sealing strips extending around the edges of the cover members providing a hermetic seal against the upper edges of the compartment member and cross rib.

8. In a burial casket having cover members hinged to a four walled compartment member, said cover members having closely adjacent meeting end edges of concave contour, a cross rib underlying the closely adjacent meeting end edges and having a sealing strip on its upper surface, and sealing strips extending around the edges of the cover members providing a hermetic seal against the upper edges of the compartment member and cross rib, said sealing strip on the upper surface of the cross rib beveled off at its ends which overlie the upper edges of the walls of the compartment member.

9. In a burial casket having cover members hinged to a four walled compartment member, said cover members having closely adjacent meeting end edges of concave contour, a cross rib underlying the closely adjacent meeting end edges and having a sealing strip on its upper surface, and sealing strips extending around the edges of the cover members providing a hermetic seal against the upper edges of the compartment member and cross rib, and said cross rib at its ends provided with means for mounting kit on the side walls of the compartment mem- ALPHONSE J. WOL'I'ERING.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,533,827 McEwan Dec. 12, 1950 

